Below is a listing of cases that may affect access to government records or meetings in important areas. It is meant to be a useful resource rather than a complete list. Included are cases brought by NJFOG as part of our “affirmative litigation” initiative to improve governmental compliance with the State’s Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

Clicking on a case title below (where a link is provided) will bring you to a summary of the case with additional information and documents. Cases are organized by county / jurisdiction. GRC complaints are listed at the bottom of the page. Of the court cases below, the only ones that are binding on lower courts are Supreme Court opinions and published opinions of the Appellate Division. Unpublished Appellate Division decisions and trial court opinions are not binding but may be considered persuasive by other courts.

Also, be aware that the following bracketed sets of counties each share a specially designated judge who hears OPRA cases: [Cape May and Atlantic], [Morris and Sussex], [Somerset, Warren, and Hunterdon] and [Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem]. If, for example, you are considering contesting an OPRA denial by a custodian in Cumberland County, you may want to check the Gloucester and Salem cases as well because they may have been decided by the same judge who will be hearing your challenge.

Nov. 9, 2017: This page and the case summaries are under construction, and updates are ongoing.